


Beating In Stride

by DragonTraining101



Series: Seizure Procedures [2]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Hurt Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Seizure Procedure Series, hiccup!whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-01-14 15:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18479317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonTraining101/pseuds/DragonTraining101
Summary: Johann is more brutal when he beats Hiccup up. With Krogan out of commission and the Night Fury nowhere to be seen, Johann takes a chance to torture the Dragon Master. Hiccup!Whump. Part 2 of my Seizure Procedure series.





	1. Chapter One

 

Hiccup shot a bola from his shield and aimed it at Krogan's legs, only to get lucky and have wrap around his arms and chest. The force of the bola knocked the Flyer to the ground and slid him across the ice and into a wall. The villain's head slammed into the wall, rendering him unconscious.

Hiccup shut Inferno off and sheathed it on his back before going after the egg. When he was about to run, Johann tackled him from behind and began to beat him mercilessly. He laughed with glee. The traitor was enjoying the pain he was inflicting.

Johann had waited years to do this. He wanted to do it from the minute he met the spoiled brat. Always having to be so smart and smug. He was as prideful as that father of his. All those trinkets that Hiccup had made for trade, tossed into the ocean as soon as Berk was out of sight. He had lied to this stick of a man when he told him he'd been playing them since Breakneck Bog. Oh no, he'd been doing since Stoick first became chief 30 years ago. He initiated most of the attacks on Berk. It wasn't always the Red Death. He had sent the dragons the night Valka was taken and eaten.

He enjoyed showing up the next day and playing the sympathetic friend. Johann had silently laughed as Stoick set off to find his dead wife. The eight-month-old baby had been left in the hands, well hand, of the moronic blacksmith.

Johann laughed at this memory. His joy compelled him to punch harder. He punched until he drew blood from several places on the young man's face. He stopped momentarily to get a good look at the Haddock boy.

Hiccup stared him down, daring him to do more. He hid his pain behind a face of steel and anger. He wasn't going to give this sick twist the pleasure of seeing him scream and moan in pain and beg him to stop. Hiccup had endured worse.

Johann roared in anger. How dare this child pretend to be a man, denying him the pleasure of seeing him react to the pain!? He pulled out a knife and stabbed Dragon Master in the left arm. He ensured the blade went all the way through until it hit the ice.

The Rider tried to bite back a scream but failed. Johann laughed, cutting into Hiccup's cheek, enjoying the sight of blood. Suddenly the traitor felt something hit his back. Hiccup's knee. Next, he felt a punch in the gut before he tumbled across the ice. Hiccup stood, breathing heavily. He applied some pressure to his injured arm.

"Okay," Hiccup breathed as he glanced at the stunned Johann. He moved to pick up the egg, only to have it knocked away. He gasped and looked up. Krogan had awoken and freed himself.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOO," Hiccup screamed as he went after the egg. Johann stirred and saw Hiccup pull out his sword, ignite the flame and used it to vault over the side of the cliff. He caught the egg his legs and held on tightly.

Krogan and Johann stared at him in awe. Johann was the first to speak. "Funny, this reminds of the time I was on a glacier in the Southern..."

He cut off from his tall tale when the King of Dragons roared. The Alpha Dragon let out a burst of wind strong enough to throw the two villains away from Hiccup and its unborn child.

Hiccup screamed as he clung to his sword with both hands, one of which wasn't at full strength. Once the forceful wind stopped, Hiccup looked down and saw nothing. The Dragon had disappeared beneath the ice. He had to find a way out of this jam and quickly. He saw a nearby rock of ice jutting out near him. Hiccup swung himself towards it, biting back the pain in his left arm. His plan failed when the rock came loose and fell to the bottom of the cavern.

He had to think of something fast, otherwise, he and the egg were goners. Hiccup looked at his leg and suddenly he had a plan. He gripped the sword as hard as he could with his right hand. He removed the egg from between his legs and placed it between his head and the cliff. Hiccup removed his false leg and plunged it into the ice. Then he started to climb. He groaned in pain and let tears fall down his cheeks as he made his way upward.

Eventually, he made it to the top, only to be greeted by Johann. "Bravo, Master Hiccup! I didn't know you had that in you. You must see the delicious irony of your situation". As he spoke, he took the egg from Hiccup and moved it to the side. "The final resting place of the champion of dragons will reside in the King of Dragons' birth nest. Sheer poetry". Johann chuckled at that last remark.

* * *

Author's Note: So what do you think of Part Two so far? Let me know in the comments. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup watched in horror as Johann raised his spear to deliver the fatal blow. He lowered his head and hoped for a quick death. Suddenly he heard a familiar sound followed by Johann screaming.

"Good job, bud," Hiccup called, relieved to know that his dragon was here to help. "I knew you'd find me".

The Rider couldn't see what was happening, but he could hear the egg rolling away from Johann and Toothless's mighty roar.

"Easy, dragon," Johann cautioned, as he back up to the edge of the cliff, just above Hiccup. Hiccup saw the madman almost lose his balance and fall into the cavern. Unfortunately, he balanced himself.

Hiccup forced himself up onto the ice cliff just in time to see Krogan take the egg and run out of the cave. "KROGAN!"

Toothless glanced at Krogan for a split second and turn his attention back to Johann. Hiccup couldn't have that. The egg was more important. "Toothless, no. Go after the egg."

Toothless stared at his human, unsure whether or not to listen.

Johann put in his unwanted two gold pieces. "By all means, dragon, off you go! After the egg!"

Hiccup started throwing hand signals for Toothless to leave then come back once he secured the egg. "Toothless, go. Protect the egg. I'll be fine. It's okay, bud. Go. GO!"

Toothless reluctantly ran after Krogan and the egg, knowing he had to be quick about it. Hiccup needed him.

Johann turned and yelled, "Such heroism. And for what? FOR WHAT!?" at Hiccup.

The older man grabbed Hiccup and tossed him across the ice. Hiccup slid until his back slammed into a spire jutting out of the ice. The Rider's vision doubled and he was seeing two Johanns stomp over to him.

Hiccup screwed his eyes shut and opened them again. There was now only one Johann and he was beyond livid. He was going to make sure Hiccup suffered. The Rider knew this.

Johann drew a knife from his sleeve and picked Hiccup up by the back of his head. He did a quick slash just above Hiccup's left knee.

"How well can you walk without a knee? More to the point, would you still be able to fly on your dragon?" Johann smiled threateningly.

The villain sliced through Hiccup's leather shoulder padding. Johann stood Hiccup up and slammed his left shoulder into his knee. Hiccup screamed as his collarbone broke into two. Johann grinned when he heard it snap.

Johann repeated the process with the Rider's ribcage. He clasped a hand around his neck and began to squeeze. Hiccup tried to push Johann off of him with all the strength he could muster.

Hiccup's struggle to be free was enough to loosen the former trader's grip. The thought of Hiccup fighting back was enough to make Johann pause. This gave Hiccup the upper hand. Despite being down to two limbs, Hiccup managed to start pushing Johann to the edge.

Hiccup knew he was going over, but he had a plan to survive. Did Johann?

Just as they reached the edge, Johann snapped back to reality and grabbed Hiccup. In one swift motion, he tossed Hiccup over the edge.

Thankfully, Hiccup was able to grab his sword and leg, before he fell even further. He wasn't going to be able to hang on for very long. His second spike of adrenaline was wearing off. He had maybe ten minutes max before he couldn't hold on any longer. Would Johann even give him that long?

"You don't have to do this, Johann," Hiccup pleaded, hoping he could reason with him.

"Oh, yes. Yes, I do, Hiccup," Johann said as he sneered at the younger man.

Johann picked up his spear once again. This time nothing was going to stop him. He was going to kill the son of Stoick the Vast. A victory that he had been waiting for, nearly 20 years now. Once he was done with the boy, he would take the King of Dragons and destroy Berk, its allies, and anyone who dared to get in his way.

Hiccup braced himself for the final blow. As Johann screamed the mighty dragon roared as it fired a powerful blast of ice from beneath, just barely missing Hiccup.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down. The great dragon had disappeared. Hiccup shook off a bit of ice on his back. He looked up and saw Johann had been frozen alive, spear raised about to deliver that final blow. Johann's face was one of immeasurable fury.

He plunged his sword into the ice that encased Johann, ready to be out of this cave. Unfortunately, Hiccup wasn't so lucky. Inferno snapped in two. He grabbed on to his leg with all his might and his fall slowed.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on forever. His left arm had no strength left to it and was still bleeding quite heavily. Hiccup glanced at the wound. He could see straight through. He looked down to measure how far he would drop.

"Long way down, Hiccup," he told himself. "No chance of surviving. Not unless the King of Dragons saves you again. I doubt he will. All that he did was to protect his egg."

Seconds quickly turned into minutes. Just as he was losing his grip he heard a soft purr above him. He looked up and smiled. His best friend was back and had the egg. "Toothless".

"Oh thank Thor," Hiccup said as Toothless lowered his tail for him to grab on to.

Once Hiccup was back at the top, he clutched the wound in his arm and stared at Johann. It didn't have to end like this. It didn't have to be like this, period. Johann had always been so kind and quirky. Learning about how evil he truly was all those months ago had been a mighty blow to the entire Archipelago. Every encounter since then, Hiccup foolishly hoped Johann would give him a sign that he was being forced to work with Krogan and Viggo.

Hiccup felt his broken bones and determined the severity. He could feel the collarbone trying to break through his skin. Five of his ribs were definitely broken. The slash above his knee wasn't as bad Johann had wanted it to be. It would just need a dozen or so stitches. His arm definitely needs stitches as does his cheek.

Hiccup reattached his fake leg and stood up. The second he stood, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. His legs gave out under him. Toothless quickly caught him and helped lower him to the ground.

"I'm okay, bud," Hiccup lied. He was not fine. He felt like death. He had lost a good amount of blood. Hiccup hadn't realized it until now that he was also at risk of a seizure. He hadn't had his medicine since they got back from Vanaheim almost 48 hours ago. Everything had happened so fast, he had forgotten all about it.

Toothless moved Hiccup's hand away from the wound. He sniffed it, before licking it once. Toothless stared at his rider for a second, before running off to get help, leaving Hiccup alone with a frozen villain.

Hiccup sat and waited. He listened to his body, looking out for any signs that might indicate a seizure. There wouldn't be much of a warning, but enough to brace himself. As if on cue his muscles tightened as if he had been struck by lightning. Hiccup laid down and shut his eyes while loosening the grip around his wound. He didn't need to break his arm in the process.

He began to convulse as his body painfully shook around on the ice. He counted the seconds for as long as he could before losing consciousness. He got to ten.

* * *

Astrid and Fishlegs followed Toothless through the cave on their respective dragons. Toothless kept roaring and cooing. His ear plates were down. Something was wrong, and they knew it. Johann or Krogan did something to Hiccup that had left him unable to leave the cave without proper help. Both of them imagined their own horrible ideas of what kind of state Hiccup was in. Was he bleeding from a grave wound? Had he been knocked unconscious? Did they torture him? Was he lying in a pool of his own blood? All of the above?

They entered the nest and found Hiccup lying next to a frozen Johann, shaking violently, with his eyes screwed shut.

"What did they do to him!?" Fishlegs demanded to no one in

"They didn't cause this," Astrid stated as she jumped of Stormfly and took a running start. "He's having a seizure. As soon as he's done, we can move him out of here."

She fell to her knees and gently placed her hand on his chest, holding him in place to ensure that he didn't fall off the edge. "I'm here, Hiccup. Everything is going to be okay."

Fishlegs dismounted Meatlug. "Why would he be having a seizure? It's been a long time since his last one. Unless he's hiding something."

"He's not hiding anything," Astrid said very quickly. "Probably blood loss. This is a pretty nasty wound he has here. It might be infected or something". She gestured to Hiccup's left arm.

Fishlegs bit the inside of his cheek. Astrid knew something and wasn't saying it. Normally he would push until he got the desired result. But now was not the time.

They watched as Hiccup's body relaxed and became still. Astrid felt for a heartbeat. As soon as she was satisfied she stood and looked around. A few feet from Hiccup was an egg. An egg bigger than a normal dragon would lay.

"This must belong to the King of Dragons. It probably came here to lay and hatch it. Berserker Island is his nesting site. Even when he's not here, his power lingers, making impossible for dragons to fly here," Astrid guessed. "I got the egg. You get Hiccup. It's time to leave".

Fishlegs obliged and picked Hiccup up. He carried him over to Meatlug and positioned him securely before getting on himself. Astrid held on to the egg as she climbed up on Stormfly. They flew out of the cave, Toothless running underneath them.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid and Fishlegs met up with the rest of the Riders outside the cave. Any happiness from winning the battle vanished when they saw Hiccup's limp form on Meatlug.

"Is he-" Snotlout began to ask, but the final word caught in his throat.

"No," Astrid answered. "Just unconscious. Fishlegs lay him down. We can't move him again until he wakes up or until he's patched up. Whichever comes first. Dagur go get a healer. He's been stabbed in the arm and a massive cut on his cheek and leg. He's lost a lot of blood. He might have more injuries. Ruff and Tuff go find Hiccup's saddle bag. It's somewhere in the cave. Whatever you do stay away from Johann. He is to remain frozen. Snotlout give this egg to the Wingmaidens. I'm sure they'll know what to with it."

Everyone ran off to do their individuals tasks. Fishlegs carefully laid Hiccup down on the softest patch of earth he could find. Toothless padded up next to his rider and laid down staring at him, worry filling his big green eyes.

Astrid sat down on the other side and placed her hand over his heart. According to Hiccup, there was some sort of time limit to unconsciousness after a seizure. If he surpassed it there could be some brain damage or something like that. She had to take into account the amount of blood loss. There was no telling how much he had lost. She looked at the beads of sweat forming at the top his forehead.

She felt his forehead, it was hot to the touch. "He has a fever."

As of on cue Dagur landed back at the mouth of the cave on Sleuther with a healer holding on for dear life. "The healer has arrived."

Dagur slid off his dragon ease and helped the healer off. Both made their way over to Hiccup.

"The dragon and girl need to move," the healer ordered.

Astrid stood up and moved away to give him space. Toothless, however, refused to budge.

"You, girl," the healer exclaimed. "move that dragon or I will get rid of it and you."

Dagur placed a firm hand on the healer's shoulder and squeezed. "Magnus be nice. Toothless is not going anywhere, not until he is sure Hiccup is going to be okay. Workaround him. Oh and if you threaten them again, I will throw you into the ocean from VERY high up, understand."

Magnus gulped and nodded.

"Good," Dagur smiles as he removed his hand from the other man's shoulder. "Now shut up and go heal my brother."

Magnus didn't say one more word and managed just fine to work around Toothless. While he worked on Hiccup, Dagur and Astrid stood side by side, while Fishlegs stayed next to Toothless, reassuring him that Hiccup would be fine.

"He'll be okay, Astrid," Dagur promised. "He's Hiccup. He always pulls through. He can survive anything."

"I know," Astrid said quietly. "He just needs to wake up."

Dagur raised his eyebrow in a quizzical manner. "What do you mean? Did something else happen in the cave?"

Astrid nodded. She didn't want to say anything about Hiccup having a seizure. She had promised Hiccup not to tell anyone. Then again saying he had one as a result of the obvious torture isn't really telling Dagur that it's a lifelong impairment, was it. The healer needed to know. The knowledge she had could mean life or death for Hiccup.

Astrid sighed and began to speak quietly. "He had a seizure. At least that's what it looked like. He had one about a year and a half ago after being forced to watch Toothless fight other dragons. Gothi said he could have another one at any given time and to be careful. I think the blood loss might have triggered it, I don't know."

Dagur nodded. "Hiccup's secret is safe with me. I won't tell him or anyone what you told me."

Astrid stared at him. How did he see through the lines? How could he tell that wasn't the whole truth?

"I never said-" Astrid began to say, but was cut off.

"I saw the tonic, back when I was still evil and recognized it immediately. Gothi taught Magnus how to make it for my mom. It worked for a while, but she got careless and only took it occasionally. Eventually, she had one so bad, it took her to Valhalla in the end," Dagur admitted. "I didn't reveal that knowledge, because I didn't want to see someone I know suffer the way she did, even if he was my enemy. No one deserves that."

Astrid just stood, frozen, as she processed everything Dagur had just told her. She watched as Dagur walked over to Magnus and whisper in his ear, probably something all the lines of her witnessing what might have been a seizure. Magnus nodded and opened one of Hiccup's eyes.

Dagur walked back over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. That was enough to shake her out of her frozen state.

"Don't worry, Magnus knows what he's doing. His knowledge could rival Gothi's," Dagur promised.

At that moment, the twins reemerged from the cave. Ruff was holding Hiccup's saddle bag. Astrid moved away from Dagur and walked toward them to retrieve the bag.

Dagur watched as the three exchanged words. Astrid clearly wasn't having any of their yak dung. They were goofing off and getting on her nerves. Those two never knew when to be serious. They probably thought they were trying to ease the tension, but they were doing it all wrong.

Eventually, Astrid managed to get hold of the satchel and sent them off to do another task, to keep them busy while Hiccup was being treated. She turned and walked back over to Dagur.

"Where'd you send them?" Dagur wondered.

"To find Heather and Mala. Make them help with cleanup," Astrid answered as she sifted through Hiccup's bag, looking for the tonic.

Dagur nodded, not needing to know more. "I'll go with. To make sure Heather and Mala don't kill them."

Astrid wasn't really paying attention and just gave him half a nod as she dumped the contents on to the ground. She got down on all fours and began looking at every jar. They all looked the same. How does the man tell anything apart? She began uncorking and smelling all of them. The tonic had a specific smell. One that was easy to detect, simply because it was bad enough to make you want to puke.

She was on the fifth jar when she found it. The smell made her light breakfast start to come up. Astrid forced it back down as she stood up and jogged over to Hiccup. It had been over thirty minutes since his seizure. Time was wasting. Not caring that there were witnesses, she knelt down at her betrothed's head and tilted it up enough to get him to swallow the tonic.

"What are you doing?" Fishlegs and Magnus asked in unison.

"Shush," Astrid replied bringing a finger to her lips while lowering Hiccup's head back on to the ground. She wanted silence while she watched for signs that it was working.

The blonde listened to the sound of Hiccup's breathing. Listening to it even out. She watched his eyes and saw them move beneath his eyelids. He was going to be okay. They all had one less thing to worry about.

It was quite obvious, Hiccup wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, due to the severity of his wounds.

"What the hell, is your problem, girl?" Magnus demanded. "You just don't interrupt a healer in the middle of saving a patient. You could have killed him."

Astrid stared at the annoying little healer. She was done with him. "I wasn't going to kill him. That was something he needed to live. If I hadn't done what I did. Hiccup might not have lasted much longer. I wasn't taking that chance. So do as Dagur recommended, shut up and get Hiccup ready to be moved. Once you have his arm patched up, we are taking him back to Berk, where Gothi will finish treating him."

Magnus didn't say anything else. He simply hung his head and finished working on patching up Hiccup's arm and making sure it was secure for travel.

"Go find the others, Fishlegs. We're leaving," Astrid told the Gronkle lover.

Fishlegs said nothing as he mounted Meatlug and flew off to find the others. It had become quite obvious that the King of Dragons trusted them enough to allow them to fly around the island without any trouble. They proved themselves today.

Astrid put everything back into Hiccup's satchel and putting it over her shoulder. She watched Magnus place Hiccup's arm in a makeshift sling, immobilizing it for the five-hour flight home. By the time everything was done, the rest of Riders had returned to the mouth of the cave, ready to leave.

"I'm going fly Toothless with Hiccup," Astrid announced. "Stormfly will fly alongside us. Snotlout and Spitelout, you two will fly on ahead and have Gothi ready, Hiccup is going straight to her hut. Let's move out."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup is brought back to Berk so his injuries can be treated

As they flew over the ocean, Astrid watched bruises start to form all over Hiccup's face and neck. Johann and Krogan had really done a number on the love of her life. She wouldn't be surprised that once they got to Berk they would find more bruising.

The thought made her blood boil. She wanted to thaw out Johann and beat him until he couldn't remember how to even breathe. She wanted to make him too terrified to blink, but it was too late. He was dead or dying. It was hard to tell. It could take days for someone to die after being frozen alive, or so she heard. That would have to be torture enough. Robbing him of the most basic instinct a human could have made Astrid smile grimly.

After what felt like forever, Berk came into sight. As if feeling her sense to get there faster, Toothless began to flap his wings harder, picking up more speed. In just a few minutes they were sailing over Berk straight toward Gothi's hut.

Astrid could see Gobber and Snotlout standing on the deck. Their respective dragons were hovering above them. Gothi only allowed two dragons on her deck and in her hut. They were her Gronkle and Toothless. Gothi was standing in the doorway to her hut, ready to receive Hiccup.

The blonde warrior landed Toothless at the end of the deck. Gobber and Snotlout quickly took Hiccup out of her arms and carried him into the rider's hut. Astrid dismounted the Night Fury and signaled for Stormfly to head home. She was going to stay awhile.

Inside the hut, Gothi had started removing Hiccup's shredded leather padding and tunic. She needed to get a better look at his arm and other possible injuries. Astrid was right. Hiccup had bruises everywhere.

Astrid looked over at Snotlout, "Where's your dad, Snotlout?"

"A council meeting was called as soon as we got back. They're demanding answers as to why we didn't drag Hiccup here right away," Snotlout explained, not taking his eyes off his cousin.

Astrid nodded. "Do me a favor and go be with him. After the meeting is over, can you go check on Stoick?"

Snotlout had to force himself to look away from Hiccup and at Astrid. He knew what she was doing. She was giving him something to do to keep him from worrying about his family. Both his uncle and cousin were injured and barely hanging on by the looks of it. He was scared, but he wasn't going to admit it. He was a Jorgenson and Jorgenson's are never scared. They laugh at fear.

He also knew that after two years of living closely on an isolated island with five other people, everyone got good at reading each other. His tough attitude was as transparent as a cloaked Changewing.

"Sure thing, Astrid," Snotlout answered, before turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Astrid filled Gothi and Gobber in on what happened. She figured Gobber knew about Hiccup's seizures. He was Gobber, Hiccup couldn't hide anything from him. Gobber had an extra sense when it came to Hiccup's wellbeing.

"... I gave him the tonic as soon as I found it. He started breathing normally but didn't wake up. I figured it might be due to blood loss," Astrid finished.

"You did well, lass," Gobber stated.

Gothi nodded in agreement as she applied a cream to Hiccup's varying bruises. During the time Astrid talked, the elder had stitched up Hiccup's arm, leg, and cheek. She wrapped up his torso, binding his ribs so that they mend. She had also given him two different tonics for the fever and any infection that might have been forming.

Berk's healer wrapped the young man's arm and leg up with clean bandaging. Gobber sat the boy up, so she could place his arm in a proper sling to immobilize it. She wasn't going to reset his collarbone until he had a chance to recover from the blood loss. Once she was done. She picked up her staff and began to write.

Gobber translated. "She says, 'He'll be out for a while. Once his color improves and I'm sure that there is no infection, we can move him to his own bed. The bruising on his face and chest will heal in over the next few weeks. His arm is going to take a while longer. There appears to be some damage to the muscle. As long as the ribs remain tied up by the dragon's knees," Gothi hit him with the stick. "Sorry, sorry", Gobber said. "As long as the ribs remain in place by the bandages, they should mend perfectly".

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief; Hiccup was going to be okay. "Thank you, Gothi".

Gothi bowed her head in recognition and motioned for Gobber to follow her. She could tell that Astrid wanted to be alone with Hiccup.

* * *

Two Days Later:

Astrid refused to leave Hiccup's side. She wanted to be the first face he saw when he woke up. Unfortunately for Toothless, he had to remain outside as there wasn't enough room. He paced on the platform. Gothi worked around Astrid, reapplying the cream to the bruising, changing out the bandaging, giving Hiccup his tonic and various other medicines to help him heal. Whenever Astrid moved, Gothi motioned for her to stay and that she fine right where she was.

As the sun fell and the moon rose, Astrid decided to stretch her legs. She got up and walked out onto the deck. She looked down at the village below. It was as busy as ever. Kids were running around, playing in the remaining light. Women were preparing for dinner. Gobber was hard at work on the forge. Dragons were eating from the fish-filled troughs. Everything was as it should be.

Suddenly all noise stopped when a piercing yell came from the chief's hut. "He's awake. The chief has woken up!"

Everything remained still up until the count of ten. Everyone burst in cries of joy, cheering at the recovery of the chief.

Astrid looked over at Stoick's hut; she could see a vast figure walking through the door. Stoick. He was limping, clearly favoring his right side. He waved to everyone, who had rushed to meet him. They were waiting with bated breath to hear him speak.

"Where's Hiccup?" were the only words out of his mouth.

No one spoke; all heads seemed to turn toward Gothi's hut. Astrid could see fear and rage forming in his eyes. He moved to get to Skullcrusher, only to realize that the Rumblehorn was still in no shape to fly. Gobber quickly offered him, Grump. Stoick obliged. Astrid ran back into the hut and sat down next to Hiccup. She waited for Stoick to come barging in and demand answers.

Stoick came in barging all right, but he didn't say anything. He just stared at his unconscious son. He grabbed a vacant stool and sat it down next Astrid. Together they sat in silence, keeping watch over the man they loved. Toothless warbled from the door, waiting for them to say something.

Astrid eventually filled Stoick in on what she knew at Berserker Island, but only Hiccup could tell them what really happened. The rest was just a guess.

* * *

Hiccup found himself trapped on Johann's former trade ship. He was bound and locked in a cage. Johann charged Vikings to come and laugh the boy who used to train dragons.

Johann changed all that after taking the egg and hatching it. He controlled the King of Dragons. Every Dragon was under his control. He forced Toothless to kill anyone who has ever ridden a dragon and any dragon who protected humans. He then had the Night Fury kill anyone who had a connection to Hiccup. Stoick, Astrid, the rest of Riders, the Wingmaidens, Defenders of the Wing, the Beserkers, Berk, and the Outcasts.

Johann made Hiccup watch everyone die. Once, Toothless shot everyone, Johann killed him. Hiccup was powerless to stop him. He became a shell in himself. He hid away in his mind. He pretended that it was all a dream. He brought everyone back to life in his mind and lived out his remaining days there.

The world he was trapped in faded around him. In its place was a brightly lit room. His room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait between chapters. I've been busy with work and helping my family. I haven't had much personal time. Lately, I've just gone straight to bed when getting home. I will try to get the next chapter up soon. Don't forget to let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

After two more days, Gothi deemed it safe to move Hiccup to his own bed. Stoick did the task of carrying his son home. He refused to let anyone help. Hiccup was his responsibility.

Stoick gently laid his son on to his bed and pulled the covers up to his waist. Toothless padded up the stairs and sat at the foot of the bed. The chief placed a reassuring hand on the Night Fury.

"He'll be okay, Toothless," Stoick promised. "He just needs to rest."

Toothless made a crooning noise as if to say he understood.

Stoick took the chair and placed it next to the bed, before heading downstairs to make a quick lunch. While he sliced the meat off the day old roast to make a sandwich, he thought about Astrid and what it took to get her to go home.

The young woman hadn't slept in at least five days, from what Stoick could tell from her recollection of events. He had had to trick her into drinking a sleeping tonic. That was a whole day ago. As far as he knew, she was still sound asleep in her own bed. Once she had fallen asleep her father came and got her from Gothi's hut.

He knew that as soon as she woke up, she was coming straight here and was going to place herself right next to Hiccup. She wasn't going to move until he was awake.

Stoick stopped cutting the meat and sat down. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. There was no telling when Hiccup would wake up. He had lost a lot of blood, more than when he lost his leg. There was also the shock of being tortured. Several broken bones too.

The best Gothi could predict was that Hiccup would be in a coma for a month, if not longer. It would be considered a miracle if he woke up sooner.

* * *

Three weeks later:

Astrid sat next to Hiccup. His bruising had generally disappeared. The minor cuts on his face healed up nicely. His collarbone had been reset. He was breathing easier as his ribs healed. Gothi had removed the stitching from his cheek and leg. Both wounds had closed up and were beginning to heal. She redid the stitching in his arm and changed the bandaging.

It was taking longer for wounds caused by a single stab to close, due to all the damage it caused to the muscle and nerves. Gothi was certain that she wouldn't have to amputate since there was no infection and it looked like it was trying to heal. It was just taking its sweet time about it.

As night fell across the sky, Astrid set about lighting the ten plus candles she had set up around the room. She had found it impossible to see much with just one candle. How Hiccup ever got anything done with just one was beyond her. Toothless chortled while she lit the candles. Astrid teasingly flicked a piece of melted wax at him. Toothless lit the rest of the candles as well as the wax on him.

As she sat back down, she took Hiccup's hand into hers. It had become something of a ritual to her. Whenever night came, she would hold his hand in case she fell asleep. She hopes he would squeeze it, thus waking her up.

* * *

Hiccup became aware of the world around him. He was in his room. How did he get there? The last thing he remembered was Toothless leaving to go get help. Had he passed out? No, wait. He had a seizure. But how was he able to get to back here so fast? How long had he been out for?

"Hiccup?" he heard a familiar voice speak. Hiccup quickly located where the voice was coming from. Right next to him. He turned his head and found a beautiful blonde woman, staring at him with concern. Astrid.

The injured man opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a raspy noise. Astrid quickly grabbed a glass of water, she had on the desk. Hiccup tried to sit up but failed. He was too weak to push himself up on his own.

Astrid helped lift his head up enough to drink. Hiccup downed the cup of water in three big gulps. Astrid set the cup back down and eased Hiccup back on to the pillow.

"Better?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup managed. "How long-?"

As soon as Hiccup spoke, Toothless's ear flaps perked up in his sleep.

Astrid didn't need to the rest of the question before answering, "Three and a half weeks. A few days shy of a month."

"How?" Hiccup wondered.

"Blood loss, mostly," Astrid replied. "The rest was your body needing to heal. Johann and Krogan worked you over quite a bit."

"Just Johann," Hiccup corrected. "He was so angry. So full of rage and hate. He took it all out on me. If the King of Dragons hadn't stepped in -"

Hiccup's voice caught in his throat. He didn't want to finish. He didn't want to relive what had transpired after sending Toothless away to save the egg. The egg.

Toothless jumped off his rock and half flapped, half ran to Hiccup. He stuck his face in front of Hiccup's and licked every part of it he could reach. He wagged his tail, staring at Hiccup expectantly. He gently rubbed Toothless's snout.

"Where's the egg?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid was taken back but the sudden switch in conversation, but it was Hiccup. His brain was playing 'Catch up to Life'.

"The Wingmaidens took it. They know someone, who knows someone who will keep the egg safe now that the King of Dragons birth nest had been exposed," Astrid answered.

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. The egg was safe. That's all that mattered right now. That and his father. Was his father still alive?

"How's Dad?" Hiccup almost demanded.

"He's fine," Astrid said in a calming voice. "He's in the Great Hall. A meeting was called. No one has been able to locate Krogan."

"That's great that he's better," Hiccup stated. "Not so great that Krogan can't be found. Maybe the King of Dragons ate him for trying to steal his egg."

Astrid laughed. It felt good to laugh. It felt even greater that Hiccup was the one making her laugh. Toothless chortled.

Hiccup smiled. It was nice seeing Astrid and Toothless laughed. It made him happy no matter what was going on. As long as Astrid and Toothless were laughing, he knew that everything would be alright.

Astrid gave Hiccup a quick kiss then stood up. "I'll go get your father and let him know you're awake."

Hiccup waited until Astrid shut the front door behind her, before groaning in pain. Every inch of his body felt like it had been set on fire, put out, and then set on fire again. It was hard to determine what hurt the worst. Why was he awake now? Couldn't his body have waited until there wasn't any pain?

Toothless hummed in concern. He began licking Hiccup. "No bud, it's ok", Hiccup said, pushing away his muzzle. Toothless grunted but continued his work.

The Rider shifted under the covers. Lying on his back was far from comfortable. If he could just sit up a little bit, he'd be happy. But he did admit Toothless was helping.

* * *

Astrid walked into the Great Hall. In the far back the Riders and Council members were all sitting together, arguing about Krogan.

"If he hasn't resurfaced by now, he probably never will," Sven pointed out. "Chances are, whoever he was working for either has him locked up or killed for failure to deliver. We need to stop wasting resources on a man that will never be found."

Stoick cleared his throat to speak, but the words caught in his throat when he saw Astrid. Something must have happened with Hiccup.

"Hiccup's awake," Astrid stated. Before she could say anything else, Stoick got up from his seat and headed for the doors. The Riders quickly followed suit.

Gobber stood. "I'll go get Gothi."

* * *

Two weeks later:

Hiccup sat at his desk, sketching out a design for his new leg. His old one had served him well, but it was time for some upgrades.

Hiccup was almost fully recovered. Everything but his ribs and arm were healed. Now that he was awake, the stab wound was finally beginning to close. The stitches would be removed in a couple of days. His collarbone was slowly mending itself as were his ribs.

Gothi reckoned it would be another month or so before he was completely healed. Hiccup wasn't really looking forward to being confined to his room for another month. But he was still too weak to even make it down the stairs, let alone fly.

Hiccup set his pencil down and leaned back in his chair as far as he could, without too much pain. It had been a month and a half since the Berserker Island Battle. Yet it still felt like it was yesterday. He could feel Johann's fist connecting with his face. The knife still felt like it was embedded in his arm. He felt his ribcage connecting with the villain's knee. He could see how full of rage and hatred Johann had been.

He thought about the nightmares that followed, being trapped and forced to watch everyone he loves and cares about dying at the hands of a kind, controlled Toothless. Had his nightmares foreshadowed what might have happened, or what could still happen?

Hiccup was pulled from his thoughts when Stoick walked in. Hiccup

"I brought you some dinner, Hiccup," Stoick said as set the plate down next to Hiccup. "Spiced chicken and beans."

Hiccup sat up and looked up at his father. "Thanks, Dad."

"How are you feeling?" Stoick asked.

"Same as from when you asked me an hour ago," Hiccup replied. "I'm hurting, but not bad enough that I need a pain relieving tonic."

Ever since he woke up two weeks ago, Stoick stayed in the house most of the time. He only left if it was important. He kept checking in on him every hour. At first, Hiccup didn't mind. For the first few days when he was still stuck in bed, too weak to barely move, it was fine. Now Hiccup was up and moving about on his own.

Well, he could get to his desk on his own, but still, having his father hovering over him made it feel like he was never going to get better.

"Okay, good," Stoick nodded. "I'm going to head out for a bit. Council meeting. Are you sure you'll be okay for a few hours?"

Hiccup sighed. "I'll be fine, Dad. You don't have to worry so much. Besides, I have Toothless." Toothless warbled.

"You're my son, Hiccup, I'm always going to worry about you," Stoick stated. "I almost lost you. I'm not about to lose you again. Just because you're up and about, doesn't mean you're okay. What you went through was traumatic."

"Losing my leg was more traumatic," Hiccup lied. What Johann had done to him was worse. Johann laughed as he tortured him. The psychopath had fun doing what he did. What made it worse was that Johann used to be family. He was the quirky uncle everyone loved but was annoyed with at the same time.

Hiccup had trusted that man his entire life, only to end up being stabbed in the back, well, arm, so close to the finish line. No one had really taken the time to properly process the betrayal. It was a 'Johann is evil, let's kick his butt' kind of thing.

They don't even know what made him turn into such an evil man. Had he always been evil or had it really been since Breakneck Bog?

Stoick sat down on Hiccup's bed. "Look, son, you don't have to lie to me. I know a broken man when I see one, and I'm not talking about broken bones. Your soul is broken. A man you once called family, beat and tortured you for sheer pleasure. He betrayed us all and you don't know how to deal with it."

Hiccup hung his head and let out a shaky breath. There was no sense in hiding from his father. Stoick knew better than to believe he was okay.

"Sorry, Dad," Hiccup apologized. "I'm still trying to process it all I guess. It's just... I don't understand why or how. How could he do what he did and laugh? You'd think his conscience would tell him to stop. Why did he do it? He had multiple opportunities to just finish me off, but he decided on..."

Hiccup could feel tears running down his face. He couldn't finish what he wanted to say. Toothless nuzzled his hand.

Stoick placed a comforting hand on Hiccup's right shoulder. "Something in Johann broke a long time ago. He killed his conscience to be able to do what he wanted to do without guilt. That's why he was able to trick is for so long. He knew how to twist our minds. He knew how to make us see past the obvious. The man that did this to you was not the same man that wanted to teach you to be a trader when you were five."

"But it is, Dad," Hiccup argued. "The whole time. That's who I was seeing. I was seeing a lifelong friend. He was family! I trusted him. You trusted him. We all trusted him! And he, he betrayed us all for power. A power he knew was impossible to have."

Hiccup made no effort to stop the tears. He was angry that what happened, happened. It shouldn't have happened. Not like this. He was terrified that it could still happen. Krogan was still out there, and so was that mysterious employer of his. They would do anything to get their hands on the King of Dragons.

Hiccup hadn't realized it, but he was starting to hyperventilate. He was so angry that he wasn't paying attention to his body having a panic attack. A long overdue one.

Luckily, his father was there. "Hiccup you need to calm down. Your breathing has sped up. You need to slow it down."

Hiccup blinked once. Twice. Three times. He held back the storm raging inside him long enough to finally listen to his body. He needed to calm down.

"How?" Hiccup croaked.

Stoick placed a hand on his son's back. "Put your head between your legs, and just focus on breathing."

It hurt like Hel to do, but Hiccup did it anyways.

"Breathe in and count down from ten, then breathe out," Stoick instructed. "Keep doing that until you feel like your breathing has returned to normal and your airway no longer feels obstructed."

It took a good twenty minutes for Hiccup to steady his breathing and calm down. Hiccup slowly sat up and looked at his father "What just happened?"

"Gothi calls them panic attacks. They're usually caused by stress or a traumatic event," Stoick explained with a strange expression plastered across his face. "I'm sorry, son."

"It's not your fault, Dad," Hiccup said. "I got angry and I shouldn't have. I should be sorry."

Stoick shook his head. "You have every right to be angry, Hiccup. What you went through was a living nightmare. I'm surprised you held together this long."

Something clicked inside Hiccup's brain. He was stuck with these memories. How he handled them from here on out was up to him. He could let them consume and fuel his anger and fears, or he could tell someone the whole story and find a healthy way to move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More suffering to come for our young dragon hero.
> 
> One more chapter to go. Who's excited to get to the next part of our series?


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup walked through the village with only the moonlight to guide him. It was his first time out of the house in what felt like forever, when in reality it was two and a half months. Gothi wanted him to stay inside and recover some more.

Despite his protests that he felt fine and was ready to rejoin the village, Stoick sided with the Village Elder. Hiccup was to remain in the house until Gothi gave him the all clear.

The only reason Stoick sided with the old hag was that he thought Hiccup was losing his grip on the reality of trying to deal with the memories that haunted his mind. So what if he's had a few panic attacks and wasn't talking about it. He wouldn't be able to understand.

Hiccup was dealing with it. He was working through the memories and nightmares. So what if his father didn't approve of how he dealt with it, it was his memories. His trauma.

The Rider found himself walking toward the forge. Even at this late hour, the forge would still be up and running. With Snoggletog a month away, Gobber was working overtime to get all the orders finished in time.

Gobber was a great listener. He knew exactly what to say when it came to Stoick.

Hiccup walked into the forge and found Gobber hammering away at a sword. "Hey, Gobber."

The blacksmith stopped hammering and turn to look at the younger man. "You should be at home resting."

"Couldn't sleep," Hiccup said as he sat down at his worktable. "Staying inside is driving me a bit crazy, so I snuck out after Dad fell asleep."

"And came straight here," Gobber guessed.

Hiccup picked a couple of stray turning gears and shrugged. "Wandered around for a bit. Headed down to the docks and watched the water. On my way back, my legs seemed to bring me here."

"What's wrong, Hiccup?" Gobber asked, knowing something was up.

"Just tired of being cooped up. I'm fully recovered, yet Gothi and Dad insist that I stay in the house," Hiccup answered in a bitter tone.

Gobber sat down across from the young lad. Stoick had warned him that Hiccup was angry and wasn't himself. The kid basically went to Helheim and back. Johann damaged the boy in more ways than one.

The aging blacksmith knew that Hiccup was holding back the dam. He was trying to keep other people from knowing what really went down. Everyone kept guessing about what went down inside that cave, but no one knew for sure.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gobber wondered, hoping the lad would finally break the dam.

"What is there to talk about?" Hiccup practically yelled. "There is nothing to talk about. Johann tortured and almost killed me. I lived and he didn't. End of story."

"Hiccup there is no need to shout. I'm right here," Gobber soothed. He spoke as if he was speaking to a child. He needed to find a fault in the dam in order for it to break.

Hiccup stood and began to pace. His face was beet red with anger, or was it shame? Maybe both.

"Whatever you say will stay between us," Gobber promised. "No one else will know."

Hiccup rolled his neck from side to side, loosening up the tense muscles. "Yes, Gobber, I know. But what else is there to say?"

"You could tell me what really happened," Gobber suggested. "Maybe if you told me, I could help you."

"Where do I even begin?" Hiccup asked.

Gobber stood up and handed Hiccup a piece of scrap metal. "Here, you can start by turning this into something useful. You'll know where to begin eventually."

After an hour of taking all his anger and rage out a piece of scrap metal-turned sword, Hiccup knew where to begin. He placed the sword in a tub of cold water and sat down.

Hiccup rubbed his left arm absent-mindedly as he watched Gobber finish an axe. He knew where to begin, but how could he even begin to share the horrors with his mentor?

Gobber placed the axe with the sword and sat down. "Whenever you're ready, laddie."

Hiccup took in a deep breath and sighed. "I'd gotten there just seconds before Johann and Krogan. I saw that the King of Dragons had laid an egg..."

The more Hiccup talked, the more Gobber wanted to revive the villain and kill him all over again. By the time Hiccup got to the part about Johann breaking his ribcage, he had tears running down his cheeks. It was hurting Hiccup just to talk about it.

Gobber watched as Hiccup touched every healed injury as if they were still fresh. Hiccup was suffering under the weight of the memories. His body might have healed, but his mind had not. His anger came from pain. Pain Johann had inflicted knowing full well that Hiccup would be traumatized for the rest of his life if he had survived. Killing him would have been a kindness.

"So I locked myself away in mind, bringing everyone back to life," Hiccup finished. "How do I know I'm not still dreaming, Gobber? I can't tell the difference between reality and my dreams. When I go to bed I'm trapped in a cage on Johann's ship. He has the King of Dragons. When I open my eyes everyone is still alive. How do I know what's real and what's not?"

Gobber took hold of Hiccup's right hand and squeezed. "This is real. Johann is as good as dead. He will remain forever frozen in that cave. He can't cause any more harm. When you close your eyes at night, that world you are seeing isn't real. It's just a figment of your imagination running wild with what could have happened. Everyone is still alive and not going anywhere. I'm sorry about what happened to you, I wouldn't wish it on anybody, not even my worst enemy."

Hiccup choked back a sob but remained silent.

Gobber continued. "You went through hell, laddie, and your brain can't process it. Not on its own. You have to talk to people about it. Share your story. You might not like it, but in the end, you'll feel better, because you know that someone is helping you carry the weight of those memories. I can't promise that you'll forget, but you will know what to do when they resurface."

Hiccup nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak. If he opened his mouth, he would start crying like a babe.

"It's okay to cry," Gobber said. "It doesn't make you any less of a Viking. You should have seen your father after he lost Valka. After he thought we lost you to the Red Death. Crying is healthy. It helps you grieve. It makes easier for you to move forward."

Before Hiccup realized it, he was crying. Gobber led him to the back room before he broke down had a full on sob fest.

Gobber left Hiccup alone after he fell asleep from the sheer exhaustion from crying. The young lad had cried into until the sun began to peak over the mountaintop.

* * *

A few hours later, Stoick walked into the forge. The chief was furious.

Before the vast man could get a word in, Gobber answered all his questions. "He's in the back asleep. Leave him be, he's had a rough night. He didn't fall asleep until sunrise. And no, I'm not going to tell you what he said. It's up to him to tell you on his own. Yes, I'll send him home when he wakes up".

Stoick stared at the door to the back room, resisting the urge to go on there and force his son to talk. "Straight home. I don't want him taking any detours."

With that said, Stoick left and headed for the Great Hall.

* * *

Hiccup woke up feeling better than he had in a long time. It was his first time without that wretched nightmare. He had instead he dreamed of Toothless finding a mate and making baby Night Furies.

He smiled at the idea of Toothless having kids. That dragon could barely handle human children.

His smile faded as he remembered last night conversation. He had to take Gobber's words to heart. No matter how much it hurt, he had to share what had happened to him with other people. People he could trust not to share themselves. That meant only a few people.

The Rider stood and exited the small room. He saw Gobber hard at work. He opened his mouth to speak, but Gobber beat him to the first word. "No lollygaggin'. Your father wants you to go straight home. No silly business on my watch."

"Thanks for last night," Hiccup said before darting out of the forge. He headed for his home on the hill.

* * *

Hiccup shared his story with a select few. He told each of them in private. It was a painful process. Every time he recounted the torture, he was left emotionally exhausted, but in the end, it was worth it. He felt some of the weight being lifted from his shoulders.

His nightmares became less frequent. When he did have one, he knew what do. He wasn't angry anymore. All the negative energy he had built up faded away into nothingness.

By the time Dagur and Mala's wedding rolled around, Gothi deemed Hiccup able to fly again. The wedding was going to take place on Berserker Island.

Flying hurt, but he was going to take the pain. Toothless was so happy to be back in the air again, he momentarily forgot that Hiccup was on him. Hiccup cried out in pain when Toothless did a steep dive. He righted himself and crooned softly. Stoick looked like he was going to throttle the Night Fury, but held himself together. Hiccup patted Toothless's head in a show of understanding; Toothless had hung his head. He crooned softly again and continued at a much slower pace.

When they arrived, Dagur greeted them warmly. "Welcome to our wedding! We hope you enjoy!" It wasn't how Dagur usually spoke, but it was a special day.

When it was time for the wedding, everyone sat at seats alongside an aisle. Captain Vorg was standing by a podium. First Dagur walked down the aisle in a very professional way for him. He stood by the podium. Then came Mala, in a stunning white dress. She walked slowly down the aisle to join Dagur, a few Sacred Night Terrors holding up her dress. They stood to face each other, holding hands. Vorg talked a lot, no one was really paying attention. During this time, Shattermaster finally decided to arrive. He had a red cushion on his back with two gold rings. He sat by Vorg, his tongue sticking out.

"Do you, Dagur, Son of Odin, take Mala's hand in marriage?" the Captain Vorg asked.

"I do."

"And do you, Mala, Daughter of Freya take Dagur to be your husband?"

"I do." Male smiled

"Then by the utterance of these words, this union may only be broken in the Halls of Valhalla. You may now kiss the bride," Vorg announced.

The crowd cheered. The pair took the rings from Shattermaster. All was well.

* * *

Hiccup broke away from the dinner party and headed to the caves. He had to do something, alone.

Toothless made to follow him.

"Stay, bud," Hiccup gently ordered. "I'll be back soon. There's something I need to do before we leave.

Toothless let out a quiet roar of protest but waited at the mouth in cave Hiccup needed him later.

Hiccup walked the path he took before. He could feel his old injuries throbbing. They felt as fresh as the day he had received them.

The Rider walked into the main cavern. At the edge of the abyss stood Johann. He was still frozen and would remain that way until the end of time.

Hiccup sat down at the far end of the cave and stared at the villain. He didn't know why he was here. Gothi suggested that it would be good for him. It would help his mind heal.

"I'm still alive," Hiccup told the frozen man. "I came out of this cave alive! And you didn't. You were killed right in front of me and I was still scared of you!"

Hiccup was standing now. He let all his anger out. The anger that had turned into nothingness,  came pouring out of his mouth.

"I was so damn scared of you that I was afraid to open my mouth. I was terrified that if the horrors came out, they would never stop. That you would come back to shut me up. You broke my body and my mind. My mind will never recover from what you did to me. I will have nightmares for the rest of my life."

Hiccup stormed over to the statue. "You were family, Johann. We trusted you. But it was all a lie and for what? Unattainable power? To be a ruthless ruler? Huh? Why? WHY?"

Tears were pouring out of Hiccup's eyes. "What made you think it was possible to control the King of Dragons? Didn't you even read the Dragon Eye? It clearly states that if you want the King to trust you, you had to be pure of heart. You had to be a friend to both dragon and man. You were neither. You were an evil, manipulative bastard, who had no problem killing people who got in your way."

Hiccup ceased his rant long enough to really stared at Johann. He moved to where he could study the villain's face better. He got within inches of the ice when Johann blinked.

Hiccup stumbled back. Oh, gods, he was still alive. After all these months, the man was still alive, encased in ice. Hiccup grabbed for the half of Inferno that was still stuck in ice. He pulled with all his might.

Once the half of Inferno was free, he aimed it at Johann. Maybe he was just hallucinating. Yeah, that had to be it. A hallucination brought on by stress. The Rider moved in closer to Johann once more. He examined his eyes, daring them to move again.

Hiccup counted the seconds. One. Two. Three. Four. Johann blinked again. Hiccup resisted the urge to run his blade through the ice. He couldn't risk freeing the man. Instead, he ran. He ran back to the party. Toothless crooned in concern and followed.

Johann was to stay there. It was just a matter of time before he died, right? But how was he still alive? He should have suffocated months ago. Maybe it had something to do with the King of Dragons power. Maybe the ice was keeping him alive as well as frozen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the end for Beating in Stride. Stay tuned for Living Will, where most if not all your questions will be answered.


End file.
